Top 5 List with Samantha Durante & Giveaway!

Today, I have a special treat for all our readers. Samantha Durante, author of Stitch, has stopped by with a list of her five favourite things about being an author. She also has details about a super exciting giveaway that she is running throughout the month of November!

Samantha Durante lives in New York City with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. Stitch is her first novel. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com.

Please welcome Samantha to A Dash of YA!

____________

Top 5 Things I Love About Being an (Indie) Author by Samantha Durante

Thanks so much to Komal, Michelle, Erica, and Molli for hosting me today!  I recently published my first novel, Stitch, and though I’m still new at this whole “author” thing, it’s really been a dream come true!  To celebrate, here are the top five things I LOVE about being an author (so far!), in no particular order:

1. Total empowerment.

There were a lot of reasons I decided to go the indie route when publishing Stitch, but by far the main one is that I’m a bit of a control freak and I really liked the idea of having final say over every little detail of my book.  I worked with an artist to design the cover, devoted painstaking hours to formatting the e-book versions, and made the final decision about every word, every punctuation mark, and every plot twist.  While this is a little scary (after all, I know there are people out there who can do all of these things far better than me!), it also means that the success of my book lies solely on my shoulders…  And therefore, as long as I’m willing to put in the work (which I am!), I know my book will do well!

2. My book IS me.

Following with #1, since I didn’t have to get sign-off from a publisher, I could write about whatever I wanted, even a genre-bending thriller that combined paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi in one (yes, one!) book.  I pulled in ghost lore, super-geeky spacetime physics, post-apocalyptic scenarios, a biological pandemic, and of course, a kick-ass female protagonist and sexy-but-sensitive male lead.  And yes, the fact that my book does not fit squarely into one genre makes it kind of difficult to market (which is why the traditional publishing industry would be wary of it), but it is full of the things I love.  And since – as an independent author – I have the exclusive right to decide what gets published under my name, the fact that I was excited about my book and believed in it was all that mattered.

3. Quick delivery to readers.

The other big factor that drove me to go indie was the ability to get my book to market QUICKLY.  It can take months – even years – for a first time author (going the traditional route) to find an agent and a publisher and go through the editing and revision and publication process.  Even though part of me wanted the validation of having credible industry professionals sign-off on my work before it went to the public, a bigger part of me just REALLY wanted to share my book with readers NOW (and the thought of waiting that long to get my book out was like a knife to the gut!).  By publishing the book myself, I was able to get it to readers only weeks after it was done, instead of months/years (and now that readers are clamoring for part two of the trilogy, I’m really glad that I’ll be able to get it to them as soon as I can!).

4. Bloggers, bloggers, bloggers.

WOW.  I have never met a more supportive and encouraging community of people than the world of book bloggers.  Since I am doing all my marketing myself (notice a theme here?  J), I’ve been in personal contact with literally hundreds of bloggers since my book and blog tour launched a few months ago, and each and every one of them has absolutely blown me away.  There’s just been an incredible outpouring of assistance and enthusiasm from the blogging community, and I feel SO grateful to have made contact with all of these amazing people.  Thank you SO MUCH to all of the bloggers who have helped me promote Stitch!  You guys are amazing!!

5. Reader commentary!

Last but CERTAINLY not least are the readers themselves!  It has been just INCREDIBLE to share Stitch with so many people and to hear their feedback and see them getting excited about the story the same way I am.  Stitch is definitely a different sort of book, and I have to say, even though I knew I loved the story, I didn’t know if most readers would feel the same.  So when 4- and 5-star reviews started popping up all over the internet, you can only imagine how gratifying that felt!  I’ve read every review that’s been posted online and it always makes my day to hear that someone enjoyed the book.  I’m SO indebted to every reader who’s taken the time to read and talk about Stitch!  Nothing is more motivating than passionate fans who are itching for the next installment – I can’t WAIT to get started on the next one for you guys!

______________

Samantha has kindly provided the details for her giveaway below. Please fill out the Rafflecopter for your chance to win one of the amazing prizes up for grabs!

Enter the Giveaway HERE!!!

November Releases that I am Dying For!

November 2012 YA Releases.
Fridays is my day to typically talk about writing. I wanted to talk about NaNo month, but I want to wait until I'm another week in. Maybe some of the other dashers will put in their input.

In no particular order

Will be released Nov. 13
After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.

In this gripping conclusion to the #1 New York Times-bestselling Matched Trilogy, Cassia will reconcile the difficulties of challenging a life too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and honoring a love she cannot live without.

Released on Nov. 6
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.





Released on Nov. 6
History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time.
Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden.
If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.
But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed.
Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

Released on Nov. 27 

In 1929, the Bright Young Things escape Manhattan's heat for the lush lawns and sparkling bays of White Cove, looking for leisure, love, and luck.

New York City's latest It Girl, Cordelia Grey, is flying high with celebrity pilot Max Darby. But Max is a private person with a reputation to uphold—and a secret to hide. A public romance with a bootlegger's daughter could cost him more than just his good name. . . .

Aspiring triple threat Letty Larkspur has finally gotten her big break, but will her talent—and special bond with the married silver-screen star Valentine O'Dell—make her a target in the cutthroat world of Hollywood? Perhaps the ingenue knows how to play the leading lady after all.

Newly married to her longtime sweetheart, socialite Astrid Donal finds herself spending more time with one of her husband's henchmen than with him. With so many secrets between man and wife, is the honeymoon already coming to an end?

As summer reaches its hottest peak, these sun-kissed girls will find out if their luck can last . . . or if dark surprises are on the horizon. So those are my top four for this month. What are you most looking forward to? It doesn't have to be just in November either. Or if you have a released page, leave it so I can check it out. 

<3 Michelle

Excerpt of Impossible

I want to begin this post by thanking A Dash of YA, and Erica and Michelle for their support during my launch week. I really appreciate all the promoting they have done and the hard work they have put into helping me out. Many thanks to the both of you! <3

Let me just say how overwhelmed I am by the response to Impossible. I never imagined that Impossible would reach the Top 10,000 on Amazon Kindle, let alone be ranked around #1,000 with some of my favourite authors! I am so very grateful to everyone who purchased a copy or spread the word, and especially grateful to the people who loved it. Thank you so, so, so much!

Today, I'm going to be posting an excerpt of Impossible for you. It's one of my favourite scenes between the two main characters, Ashton and Luca. Hope you enjoy it!

The noise from a lawnmower woke me from my sleep. Groaning, I rolled over and stared at my bedside clock with bleary eyes. 7:13 A.M? Who in their right mind would cut grass this early on a Saturday morning? Hadn’t they heard of something called sleeping in?

Somehow, I managed to get out of bed without tripping over my sheets. The sun shone into my room and, across from my window, Luca’s blinds were drawn. Trust him to be able to sleep through all this noise.

I headed along the corridor and peered out the window that overlooked our front yard, hoping to catch a glimpse of the annoying neighbor who’d disturbed my sleep. My mouth fell open when I saw our grass was being cut…by someone absolutely gorgeous. His back was turned to me, so all I could make out was dark brown hair and a tanned, muscular back, but holy hell was this a great way to wake up on a Saturday. Mom must’ve finally hired someone to mow the lawn, but did it really have to be at this ungodly hour?

“Mom!” I cried as I stomped downstairs, cursing the world.

Mom was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. She peered at me over the top of her newspaper and ‘tsked’. “Ash, will you keep it down? I just got your brother to bed an hour ago. He was up all night with an ear ache.”

“I was trying to sleep too, but I got woken up by that racket.” I gesticulated wildly with my hands. “I mean, the guy’s pretty cute, but still!”

Mom raised an eyebrow. “Did you actually see him?”

“Only from the back, and what a nice back it was.”

A smile formed on Mom’s lips which confused me. What was she all happy about? Not that I was complaining. It was nice to get a genuine smile from her after the whole Elly debacle. I guess I’d made it a lot worse by fighting with her and blaming her for all my problems, but I really wanted to get past it.

“Why don’t you take a pitcher of lemonade out to him?” Mom suggested, “I’m sure he must be thirsty.”

“Why not?” I shrugged. “It’s not like I can get back to sleep.”

Grabbing the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and a glass from the cupboard, I slipped on my flip-flops and opened up the front door. Sunlight streamed directly into my vision and I squinted, shading my eyes with a hand. Septembers in Statlen usually varied in temperature. Some days the weather was cool and other days, like today, it felt like we were in the middle of summer.

My eyes wandered around the yard and I saw that most of the grass had been cut and there was just the edges around the fence left to do The guy was bent over the lawn mower and hadn’t noticed me, but I noticed something about him. Something that unsettled me.

He had a sleeve of tattoos on his left arm.

No way. There was no way that could be him. “H-hello?” I called out tentatively, still not sure what I was seeing.

He stood up and my mouth dropped open. Oh, sweet baby Jesus. It was him.

Luca Byron was standing shirtless on my front lawn with beads of sweat dripping down his rock hard abs. I mean, they looked rock hard. It’s not like I’d touched them before but, boy, did I want to. What was even stranger was that he looked, well, normal.

For starters, his hair was brown, not black. He must have dyed it back to its actual color, and it wasn’t spiked up like a porcupine. His hair looked soft and just fell into his eyes—he’d also gotten a haircut. There was no black eyeliner around his eyes either. He looked…there were no words to describe how he looked. I was blown away.

Luca tilted his head to the side and walked towards me slowly. “Is that for me?”

“Huh?” My brain wasn’t working. I couldn’t recall what I’d come out here to do.

“The lemonade. Is it for me? I’m pretty thirsty.” He stopped right in front of me and folded his arms across his chest, making the muscles in his arms bulge.

Oh. My. God. I was going to have to take back everything I’d ever said about Luca Byron. He was gorgeous, he was hot, and he was sexy. How? How could such small changes to his appearance have such a big impact on the way he looked? I mean, yeah, he’d always been good looking, but the rocker look had kind of obscured that. And those muscles, that body, those abs…where had they come from?

“Ashton,” he said, a smirk on his lips. “If you keep looking at me like that then I’m gonna have to do something about it.”

My face flushed red hot, and I quickly handed him the glass. He watched me closely as I poured the lemonade into it, my hand shaking the entire time. Luca was having such a profound effect on me that I couldn’t even manage something as simple as pouring.

He quickly downed the glass and I refilled it, trying to get my shakes under control. At one point, Luca covered my hand with his to control the shaking, and I thought I was going to pass out from his proximity to me.

When he’d had a third glass, he handed it back to me and pulled his shirt from where he’d tucked it into the back of his jeans. His green eyes glinted as he wiped the sweat from his chest, his eyes never leaving mine. Not once did I look away—I don’t think I was capable of moving—and he seemed to be enjoying the attention I was giving him.

He stuck the shirt in the back of his jeans, a smile playing around his mouth.

“You haven’t said a word.” He leaned in closer until his lips were inches away from mine. “That’s not like you at all. Normally, you’d be calling me a freak by now. Are you sick?”

“Um…” Come on! I had to get a hold on myself. This was getting ridiculous. “I’m…just surprised, that’s all. What happened to the crazy hair and the ugly clothes?”

Luca shrugged. “It was time for a change. Why? Is it bothering you?” There was a playful hint to his voice, and I could tell he was teasing me. He was probably loving my reaction.

“No, why would it bother me?” I snapped.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you like what you see.”

“I do not!” I argued, but judging from his broadening grin, I could tell I didn’t sound too convincing. Time for a change of subject. “Why are you cutting our grass anyway?”

“Just being a good Samaritan.”

“Uh huh,” I said, not wanting to buy into this whole “good guy” act for a second. “And is this something that you devil worshippers do for fun?”

He seemed amused that I’d called him a devil worshipper. “Yeah, every full moon. Then we go and sacrifice lambs and use their blood to…”

“Ugh, you’re disgusting!” I cut him off, not wanting to hear anymore.

“You started it,” he said and jabbed me on the collarbone. His finger lingered there and I shivered. “Is that what gets you in the mood? Pretty kinky.”

He laughed as I shot him daggers and stormed back inside, splashing lemonade everywhere as I went. Did he have to be so damn annoying and hot at the same time? Ugh! And I’d just thought he was hot! Kill me now!

The door slammed shut behind me and I stomped into the kitchen where Mom was sitting with this smug expression on her face. She glanced up as I slammed the lemonade down on the counter.

“The cute guy mowing our lawn drank a lot of lemonade,” she remarked in a light tone as she folded up her newspaper and set it aside. I didn’t bother mentioning that I’d spilt half of it on my way back inside.

“Mom!” I raged. “You knew it was him and you sent me outside on purpose! I can’t stand him—he’s so full of himself!”

Review: Fall from Grace (Mad World)

Author: Christine Zolendz
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Dark Road Designs
Released: July 22nd 2012 

Summary from Goodreads:
I'm finally home after struggling through my brother's illness and death. But, home is definitely a bit different. My best friend (the only person alive now that knows my secret) has a new boyfriend; and he has a friend. Shane Maxton: bad boy, tattooed rock god, eye candy extraordinaire. He is also New York City's most arrogant, self-serving, son of a, well, a definite one-night stand kind of a guy.
But, it doesn't matter to me because I've spent my existence looking for the love of my life, my angel. And, there is nothing that Shane Maxton can do to change that.
 
A paranormal romance.

My best friend let me borrow this book on my Kindle last week but between working on edits for my manuscript and reviewing another book, I didn't get around to starting this one until last night.
I was just about to go to bed when I remembered that I only had 2 weeks to read a borrowed book and since a week had already gone by I figured I better at least start it.....I stayed up until after 1 this morning because I HAD to finish this book! 

Yes there were a few errors (nothing huge) but the story and characters were amazing. Tucker made me cringe (and vomit in my mouth), Lea and Grace made me laugh (out loud) and Shane.....oh boy, Shane....Let's just say I am going to have to re-work my top 10 book boyfriends because Shane just skyrocketed to the top.

Very interesting story, little hints were dropped here and there throughout the story and it was fun putting all the pieces together. I don't know if this author has anything else out right now besides the sequel (Saving Grace) but I definitely intend to read more of her work!

Now, there were a lot of amazing quotes in here....but not all of them were PG! So here is just one of my favorite Quotes:
 
"Lea, you know you should never have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent."
(But there were sooooo many other great ones!)

FALL FROM GRACE is a great New Adult read for someone who enjoyed Lauren Kate's FALLEN series and for those of you who like a-whole-lotta steam in their paranormal romances. 

Poll It Monday (5)

Poll It Monday (5)

Hey everyone! Since I did a social media poll last week on Twitter. This week I am going to stay along the same lines. Facebook is another huge social media effecting us.


Do you have a Facebook page for your blog or one geared toward you as an author.


Let us know.

customer survey

Review for Impossible by Komal Lewis

I want to start off this review with some honesty - when people pick up indie author's, they tend to be hesitant. What am I going to get out of this? Can this person really write a "good" story? What if I don't like it? All these thoughts are normal. However, Komal Lewis's debut novel will leave you with these answers: I got an awesome, well-rounded story. She can really write and leave me wanting more. I loved it!

With that being said my review for Impossible. 

Ashton Summers is on her way to becoming the most popular girl in school and nothing—or no one—is going to stand in her way. Especially not Luca Byron, her freak neighbor, with his tattoos, loud music, and distracting green eyes.

Luca Byron has three goals in life: get through high school with a low profile, make sure his garage band becomes something more than a hobby, and try to forget about his insufferable ex-best friend, Ashton, who he can’t get out of his mind.

The last thing Ashton and Luca want to do is rekindle their friendship, but when Ashton takes a tumble down the social ladder, Luca—with his new makeover—is the only one who can help her rise up again by pretending to be her boyfriend. At first, being together is unbearable and annoying, but things start to change as Ashton and Luca discover the real reasons they drifted apart seven years ago. 

Now, keeping their hands off each other seems impossible

I got to read the book prior to everyone else (Yes, I'm bragging). 

I found myself thinking about the story when I couldn't be reading it. I found myself rushing through things so I could get to the book. I had to know what was going to happen. I also had some fantasies about Luca. If you're looking for another crush, look no further. 

Ashton - is dying to be the most popular girl. She feels it will cover up some of her insecurities and she's about to get everything she wanted. The cost? Anyone who stands in her way. Even if it means she has to be a complete b@tch. 

Luca - is the rocker boy from next store who used to be Ashton's best friend and he has to watch the terrible things she does. It bugs him, but for seven years, they haven't talked. What can he do? I mean, he's the school's freak - abeit a hot one. 

But due to the evil Kance - Ashton finds herself relying on Luca with the intention of dropping him as soon as she gets back on the social ladder. One draw back - things start happening - like super intense kissing moments and unwanted (so they think) feelings. (Komal knows how to write a kissing scene.)

I will tell you this - you will not put it down! At all. Ever. It's that good. 

Character Interview with Luca and Ashton

I had the great and swoon-worthy privilege to interview Luca and Ashton from Komal's novel - Impossible. Luckily I could interview them separately so Ashton couldn't see me hitting on Luca. The flirting has been left out. :)

Hi Luca:) I promise to make this fast so you can get back to your band practice. 

So Ashton really changed a lot after the two of you stopped being friends: What was that like for you?

It was hard seeing her with other people. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about what I’d lost. But I had to get on with my own life, you know?

I hear what you're saying. OK. Now tell me about your band and can I be your number one groupie?

I think Ash would get jealous if you were my number one, but you can definitely be my number two groupie. I set up my band as a tribute to my dad and his band. Music is definitely an important part of my life and it’s gotten me through a lot of hard times.

I can handle being number two. I'm good with that. It’s obvious you’re really into your music. What’s your favorite song of all time?

That’s a tough question. If I had to pick just one then I’d have to say Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.

What’s a secret you have that you've never told anyone?

I collect guitar picks. It started with my dad giving me one when I was a kid and it sort of became a hobby for me to find interesting ones. Now I have over 30!

I would love to see them sometime. So I think I know what inspired your change of look (sighs as I remember you cutting the grass) but maybe you can tell the rest of us, why you did it?

Oh, man, this is so embarrassing. I still don’t get why everyone makes such a big deal about the makeover. Well, if you really must know, it was because I got sick of being called a “freak” my entire life. The last straw was when Ash and I had an argument and she said a few things which cut pretty deep.

Well, it looks like the two of you have gotten passed that. So that's awesome for you guys, sad for me. What's something you hope for Ashton and you?

That we can move on from all the misunderstandings and stay the heck away from her evil, ex-best friend, Kance.

I can't blame you there. Kance is a tough one to handle. Well, thanks for stopping by! Say hi to the band for me!

Hi Ashton. So happy I could interview while Luca's at practice.  

I'm going to cut to the chase, you did some really messed up things to people. But I know you, you're a good person. Why do you think you did those things?

I really feel horrible about the way I used to treat people. I think I’ve been so hurt in the past that I closed myself off to how other people felt. I only cared about making myself feel better and it made me better when I put other people down.

So Luca was hot when he was all dark and emo, but hello turn around! What did you like best about Luca's makeover?

Um, well…I guess I liked the way he started dressing. I think a well-dressed man is definitely an attractive one. But you know what’s funny? I would take Luca dark and emo, or hot and sweaty. I could care less what he looks like now.

You guys might be in my top five couples. You are pretty awesome together. Um, can I please tell you how jealous I was when I read the kitchen counter scene. But, hey mom. What was that experience like for you?

Oh my gosh! (Cheeks flush) That was the most mortifying experience of my life for several reasons. On one hand, I was pretty sure I was NOT attracted to Luca Byron, and on the other hand, his momma walked in! Kill me now!

Yeah, but I bet it was worth it! Tell me about your best friend.

Kance isn’t someone I want to talk about. I want nothing to do with her.

Hey sorry. Let's skip it. What's something you hope for Luca and you?

Marriage, ten babies and that house from The Notebook that Noah built. Kidding! I think Luca and I need to work through our issues first because we went through a lot in Impossible.

Can you give me Luca’s phone number? - not a joke.

Sure will! But you will have to fight me for him. ;)

If i thought he wasn't crazy about you, I might have tried! 

Thanks for stopping by!

IMPOSSIBLE is Komal's debut novel! Check it out on our books page.